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Proxy Settings

Proxies are low-resolution copies of high-resolution clips. Using proxies increases playback performance, especially when working with large files.

At any point, for any media, proxies can be generated. Hence, there is no option to enable or disable proxy generation. Proxy settings specify how and when proxies are generated for clips used in the project.

Generate Proxies By Default

All projects are proxy-capable, in that they support proxies on demand. Enable the Generate Proxies By Default button to make proxy generation the default behavior at project creation.

This button enables a sub-set of preferences, in relevant parts of the application, causing proxies to be generated on disk, by default. This includes importing media from the MediaHub and rendering media from Batch or Batch FX, the Timeline, the Modules, etc.

Proxy Ratio

Set the fraction for resizing the proxy image. Alternatively, you can select Custom and manually set the size of the proxies as a percentage value, using the numeric field that appears below. Proxies maintain the same aspect ratio as their sources.

Proxy Quality

Set the quality of the proxy image. Proxy quality affects rendering and proxy generation duration since lower qualities are faster to calculate. However, the quality does not affect the amount of storage space required.

Conditional Proxy Width

Enter a clip width for conditional proxy generation, in pixels. Proxies will be generated for all clips having a width greater than this value. You can also drag on the numeric field to modify it.

Select: To specify:
Lanczos Excellent quality, recommended for upscaling and downscaling. Slower to calculate.
Shannon Excellent quality, sharper than Lanczos in small details. Recommended for upscaling and downscaling. Slower to calculate.
Gaussian Medium quality and softer results.
Quadratic Medium quality and softer results.
Bicubic High quality, but not as sharp as Shannon. Use for both upscaling and downscaling.
Mitchell High quality, but not as sharp as Shannon. Use for both upscaling and downscaling.
Triangle Low quality, fast to calculate. Use for downscaling.
Impulse Very low quality, fast to calculate. Use for downscaling.
Draft Lowest possible quality, used when proxies are generated automatically following video I/O.

On Demand Proxies

Proxies can be enabled and disabled for individual clips, regardless of whether default proxy generation was enabled at project creation.

The Proxy Quality workflow allows you to reduce the amount of data being calculated in complex setups, without the need to have proxies stored on disk, by simply changing the quality.

However, as overall interactivity and performance is defined by the slowest link in the chain, if reading the source media is what is causing the performance loss for large setups, users can now optionally generate proxies on disk.

Import Options

When you import media from the MediaHub, you have a Generate Proxies button. If you enabled the Generate Proxies By Default option when creating your project, the button will also be enabled by default in the MediaHub and proxy media will be generated on import. You are free to disable and re-enable it, at any point, to change the proxy generation behavior for specific media.

Rendering Options

Since proxy media is optional, there are preferences to define whether or not to write proxy media during rendering. These preferences affect the Timeline, Batch or Batch FX, Generators and the Modules.

In the General tab of the User Preferences, under Default Rendering Options, there is a Proxy Rendering drop-down menu, from which you can select one of three options:

  • Full Resolution and Proxy: The application renders at both full resolution and proxy resolution.
  • Full Resolution: The application renders only at full resolution.
  • Proxy: This sets the Timeline Rendering options to “Proxy Only”.
Note: The Proxy option only applies to the Timeline. When selected, Batch or Batch FX, Generators and the Modules are set to “Full Resolution and Proxy”, as they do not support Proxy Only rendering. They instead have a "Generate Proxies” option in the drop-down menu of their respective Rendering button, which is enabled or disabled, based on this preference setting.

Generating Media Proxies On Demand

On demand proxy generation is achieved through the context menu, under the Media header, which gives you two self-explanatory options, relative to proxy generation:

  • Generate Proxies
  • Flush Proxies

You can do this at any point, regardless of whether or not you enabled proxy generation by default when you created your project.

This can be done to an individual clip, to a Reel or a Library.

Visual Indication

In order to get a quick snapshot of which clips have proxy media, as well as their current status, you can:

  • Enable List View in the Media Panel and look in the Proxy Resolution column, which will display a hyphen if no proxies exist on disk for that media, the resolution of the proxies if they exist on disk and “pending…” if proxies are in the midst of being generated.
  • Alt + Click a clip in the Media Panel. The Proxies information appears in the Clip Information window.

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